CATEGORIES
Vet advice from an experienced poultry vet
The birds are out but Avian Flu is still here - how to help your hens be safe
Growing Up & Independence
Fiona & Hugh Osborne steer you through how broody hens raise chicks for you until they become independent young birds
Runner ducks are all the rage - but they aren't the ideal garden duck
Chris Ashton looks into their needs and natural behaviour
Coastline and castles in Wales's Pembrokeshire National Park
Welcome to our regular column all about the best places to buy a country smallholding
Preserving food through dehydration
Fiona and Hugh Osborne preserve fruit, vegetables, spices and even meat by drying, an ancient technique with increasing modern relevance
Why you should consider abortion vaccination for your sheep
Kath Dun, Galedin Vets (Kelso) explains how planning now prevents problems later
RBST Watchlist 2023: Concern Deepens For UK's Native Pig Breeds
But rare poultry breeds also impacted by recent events
On Guard The dilemmas of grazing in Orchards
Having your own orchard is wonderful, the beautiful blossom, tending to your trees and then fresh home grown fruit, What could be better? But as someone who advises on orchards many owners or prospective planters of orchards are surprised when one of my first questions I ask is “What are you going to do with the grass?”
Starting with alpacasA Beginner's guide to purchasing
Roger Clarke of Amberly Alpacas explains what to expect
Prepare your pigs for the warmer weather
Supporting Farmgate Feeds as Pig Technical & Commercial Advisor, Sam Bradley shares her tips and advice on how to reduce heat stress with pigs and the signs to look out for this summer.
Caring for Elderly Goats
Tamsin Cooper highlights the changes needed to housing and healthcare
The sustainable Shetland cow that combines beauty and usefulness
Helen Babbs meets the small Scottish cow that's perfect for smallholders
Finding our Homestead in the Highlands
Rachel Alvey-Anderson and her family make their dream come true
First locations for The Wildlife Trusts' Atlantic rainforest recovery programme announced
Isle of Man and North Wales are first to benefit from £38million Aviva fund
South West farmers banned from owning animals following two successful APHA prosecutions
Two separate investigations by APHA into animal welfare cases concluded in the sentencing of two farmers in Cornwall and Devon.
How much control do we have of the food we eat?
In the first article of this series, Jack Smellie explored the smallholder relationship with meat: the pride, the sadness and all things in between. This month, she takes a more in-depth look at the ethics of smallholder grown food meat and veg/fruit) and the smallholder relationship with food in general.
The Swiss Army Knife of tool carrying attachments for a Tractor
Introducing the BigToolRack and its inventor
Machinery Matters
In this month’s issue Jane Brooks looks at the venerable Ferguson tractor, still a popular tool on many smallholdings, but beware it takes a little getting used to.
It's ime to plan your patch
Kim Stoddart explains how to maximise produce growing opportunities this year...
Fear and stress in chickens
All animals show fear and stress and as their keepers, it should alert us to their needs. This month Paul Donovan investigates its role in poultry and how to reduce it.
Rearing chickens, ducks and geese to eat
Experienced smallholder Lorraine Turnbull discusses how to get the best return from your meat birds.
Growing Stages
Grant Brereton looks forward to getting excited about growing stock...
Get off that nest!
Janice Houghton-Wallace looks at what to do when you don't want a broody hen to hatch eggs When it comes to hatching fertilised eggs a broody hen is best at the art of incubation. Broodiness normally occurs in a chicken once she has laid a clutch of eggs that she will be able to cover and incubate effectively. The number of eggs in a clutch varies between breeds but an average ideal number is between 10 - 12. But what happens if you don't want her to be broody?
Hatching and beyond
Fiona Hugh Osborne guide you through the hatching process and how to handle common problems.
Beautiful bantams are ideal for the smaller garden
Lisa Mancell, National Sales Co-ordinator at Farmgate Feeds gives her top tips on caring for bantams.
All about Alpacas
Introducing Camelidynamics - learn how to work with the natural behaviour of alpacas for calm handling
Are you ready for the responsibility of livestock?
Without sufficient knowledge, new livestock owners can find themselves stumbling along says Catriona Benson. But help is at hand
Breed Focus: Black Welsh Mountain Sheep
Helen Babbs meets this attractive and thrifty breed from Wales
Meet the therapists!
We look at how Grace Olson discovered the healing power of sheep
Help your pet to ditch that itch
If your dog is scratching excessively it’s uncomfortable for them and frustrating for you. Here, vet Julie Lawrence offers some sound advice to help identify skin problems and considers the treatment and management options available